The present invention relates to fluidic devices.
In microstructure technology applications, fluid may be conveyed through miniaturized channels (which may be filled with gel material) formed in a substrate. For a capillary electrophoresis device as an example for such a microstructure technology application, it may be necessary to generate an electric field in the fluid channels in order to allow for a transport of components of the fluid through the channels using electric forces. Such an electric force or field may be generated by dipping contact pins of the capillary electrophoresis device into the fluid which may be filled in a well defined by a carrier element coupled to a microfluidic chip, and by applying an electrical voltage to such contact pins.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,509,085 B1 discloses to provide laminates having channel structures disposed between sheets of the laminate. The channels are raised on a sheet of laminate, typically by printing the structure on the sheet.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,736,188 discloses a backing sheet provided with a pattern of pathways of silica or cellulose by a printing process. There may be multiple pathways leading from an eluant application region meeting in a merged zone to a detection zone and thence to a waste reservoir. Different pathways may have different fluid traversal times because they differ in length and/or material. Thus analyte and reagents deposited at depots on different pathways are sequentially delivered (by capillary forces, that is to say be a purely internal force) to the detection zone. Reagents may be applied by printing. The detection zone may have an electrode assembly, also applied by printing, for detecting the effects of analyte.